In Xin'an County, when Jia Xu, who was a guest at Zhang Ji's house, received the news that the emperor fell into the river and died, his beard trembled with shock.

"Poison! It's really poisonous!" Looking at the note sent by Fei Ying, Jia Xu narrowed his eyes slightly and said to himself.

"What poison? Could it be that the emperor was poisoned to death?" Zhang Ji was surprised.

Jia Xu rolled her eyes at him and said, "The letter clearly stated that the emperor's chariot was chased by Yuan Cao's army. His horse frightened and he fell into the river and died! The poison I'm talking about is heart poison!"

"who?"

"I!"

Zhang Ji curled his lips, "Where are you poisoned?"

Jia Xu did not continue the topic and asked instead, "Will you surrender or not? If not, my lord will pick you up while escorting His Majesty's coffin to Luoyang. Do you believe it or not? Don't talk about me then."

This fellow didn't help you to plead for mercy, and it's useless to plead for mercy if you don't understand the situation. Just look at the fate of those noble families in Hanoi."

Zhang Jizheng said seriously, "Surrender is possible, but I don't want to farm like Duan Zhongming, I want to lead troops. As you know, I have been leading troops in wars since I followed Dong Xiangguo. I can do nothing else but fight."

No, that guy Fan Chou is just like me. The two of us have actually been having a miserable life in Hongnong in the past few years. The Yang family doesn’t dare to offend and can’t afford to offend. The people don’t have anything to rob. There’s no food and I can’t expand the army even if I want to.

, these few years, there are still only the same people as before."

Jia Xu scolded him, "Life has been so miserable, and there has been another major disaster this year. I asked you earlier and you were still hesitant. Are you having trouble with your brain?"

Zhang Ji sneered, "Aren't I afraid that my military power will be taken away from me?"

"For a person like you, you can bully bandits, but my lord can kill you with one finger and give you back your military power?" Jia Xu looked disgusted and disdainful.

Zhang Ji just laughed. What Jia Wenhe said was right, but he also knew that Lu Bu was going to use troops against Jizhou next. He still cared about himself, the veterans of Liangzhou, and would not use force unless necessary.

Zhang Ji said this because he wanted to ask for more benefits. Jia Xu was clear in his heart and said, "Xin'an is close to Hangu Pass and is also a fortress. Since you refused to follow my lord in the past, you were not the one to do it when you were with Dong Xiangguo."

It will definitely not work for your trusted subordinates to let him completely let you guard such an important place."

As he spoke, he suddenly asked, "Is your nephew Zhang Xiu sixteen years old this year?"

Zhang Xiu nodded, "Just turned sixteen!"

Jia Xu thought about it for a while and said, "In this way, if Xiu'er is sent to Jinyang, Hangu Pass and Xin'an County will still be garrisoned by you, and the army will be supported by the lord. Are you willing?"

Zhang Jidao, "I have no children, and the Zhang family only has one child, Xiu'er. It's not impossible to send him to Jinyang, but you have to ensure his life safety."

"It's natural. As long as you don't resist, Xiu'er will be safe. My lord has always been very generous to his subordinates and family members. Even the enemy's hostages are treated very kindly. Xiu'er went to Jinyang rather than stay with you, a big boss like you.

A hundred times stronger."

Hearing what Jia Xu said, Zhang Ji sighed softly, "If I had known this, I should have followed Yingwei to Bingzhou directly. Now Yingwei has won the trust of his master and led the Flying Bear Army with great majesty.

But I still want to send the protons to Jinyang."

"The feeling of sharing joys and sorrows is naturally different. Don't be dissatisfied with this. I have told you that it is a hundred times better for Xiu'er to go to Jinyang than to follow you. If you are mumbling like this, is it possible that you are not sincerely surrendering?"

Jia Xu looked at him with warning eyes.

Zhang Ji hurriedly asked, "How could it be? I just can't bear to embroider?"

"A grown man is like an old woman!" Jia Xu couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, and then said, "You have had a good relationship with Fan Chou in the past few years. If you surrender, there should be no problems with him. Does he have a son or something?

?”

"There are two of them, one is eighteen years old and the other is twelve years old. You can take whichever one you want."

Jia Xu nodded, "Take me to see him in the Chichi tomorrow. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's team is probably about to escape here. If you two can intercept and kill them, it will be a great achievement. My lord will have important consequences."

reward."

Zhang Ji was overjoyed and said, "If you had told me earlier, I would go and organize the troops now. I must intercept him."

…………

Besides, after Yuan and Cao left Huayin, they drove their horses at a galloping speed, even faster than when they came. They arrived near Erjiao Mountain in one day and one night, only half a day's journey from Jichichi.

The sky was getting dark, and the tired soldiers refused to continue their journey. The group camped in an open area on the roadside to rest. Yuan Shao took Jushou and others to Cao Cao's tent.

"The emperor died because of us, and the life-preserving talisman turned into a life-saving talisman. What should I do next?"

This historically powerful prince in the north is like a child who is afraid of being scolded for doing something wrong, looking helplessly to his companions for help.

"What are we still thinking about in the future? There are Fan Chou and Zhang Ji ahead of us. I don't know if we can go back safely!"

Cao Cao's hair and beard were blown into a mess by the wind, and he was smoothing his hair while rubbing his aching head.

"If they didn't let me wait when they came, how could they stop me when they came back? Besides, these two people combined can only have more than 10,000 soldiers, so they couldn't stop me even if they wanted to."

Cao Cao said, "I always feel that there is something fishy about this matter. Since Lu Bu has bribed Duan Xuan and he knows that I am waiting outside to snatch the emperor, why doesn't he let the emperor continue to stay in Huayin? I have come all the way and cannot stay for a long time. He

There are 2,000 cavalry outside and 10,000 soldiers inside the city. Even if we and Er Li join forces, we can't capture Huayin City, so why should he rush to take the emperor out?"

Cao Cao was frightened by Liu Xie's death yesterday. He was blown away by the wind on the way to escape, and his mind gradually came to his senses. He thought about the matter over and over again, and the more he thought about it, the more something was wrong.

Yuan Shao recalled the scene of being chased to Hu County by Qu Yi and Hua Xiong yesterday, and said, "He...could it be that he wanted to use the emperor to lure us to rob, so that he could take the opportunity to kill you and me?"

This explanation seemed quite reasonable. Cao Cao looked at Ju Shou and Xun You, "Do you two think so too?"

Xun You said, "It is not impossible. The anonymous letter informing the emperor of his escape may have been sent by someone from Lu Bu, luring us to come and catch them all."

"If it was really to trap and kill the two of us, why did he only arrange 2,000 troops? It is much easier for him to mobilize troops from Hedong County than for me." Cao Cao asked doubtfully.

"If he really mobilized many troops and horses, would my lord still dare to come to Huayin?" Xun You asked rhetorically.

Cao Cao choked and nodded, "Yes!"

But Jushou shook his head, "No, that's not right... If Lu Bu really sent a message to Duke Cao, this matter would be unexplainable."

"What's wrong?"

Jushu analyzed, "Lü Bu's next target is Jizhou. He only needs to take this opportunity to get rid of my lord. Jizhou will be in chaos, so why bring Duke Cao here to add trouble to himself? Based on Bingzhou's current capabilities, it is barely possible to capture Jizhou

, whether Yanzhou is

From the geographical location and the military and economic strength of Bingzhou, it is impossible to win them all. If it were not for the joint efforts of our two families this time, it would be almost impossible for our lord to escape the pursuit of the Flying Bear Army. It is clear that he is 90% sure of succeeding.

There is no reason for me to drop it to 40 to 50%."

From Bingzhou's point of view, it is indeed enough to trap and kill one Yuan Shao. To lure Cao Cao along with him is to cause trouble for himself.

"I have a grudge against Lu Bu. Maybe he was too confident and thought he could get rid of me too," Cao Cao said.

"Before the great events in the world, the little grudge between Cao Gong and him is nothing. Besides, this matter is what Lu Bu thinks about himself, and the advisers around him will not agree. If he succeeds in killing my lord this time, and then immediately sends troops to Jizhou, maybe

It can be won in less than half a year."
Chapter completed!